Apart from being a superstar, Spencer Dinwiddie has played every role there is in the NBA.
He’s been a 15th man fighting for a roster spot.
He’s been a rotation player.
He’s been the No. 2 option and been asked to score a lot of points.
That last job description wasn’t part of the job description when he rejoined the Mavericks in the offseason. But pretty much everything else?
Yep, Dinwiddie has been asked to do it and is perfectly capable.
“To be honest, we’re figuring it out at the moment,” the 11-year guard said Saturday of his role with the Mavericks. “I’ve been first off the bench some games and I’ve been told I wasn’t going to play some games. It’s early and we’re figuring all that out. I look forward to helping anyway I can.”
And Dinwiddie’s history helps give coach Jason Kidd plenty of options on how to utilize the 6-5 former Colorado Buffalo.
“I think the benefit of wearing all those hats is you have a very versatile skill set,” Dinwiddie said. “Some games it’s going to be: hey, we need you to guard Jalen Green. And some games it’s going to be: we’re going to let you hit three threes against the Jazz.
“So it’s probably going to be a little different from what Maverick fans are used to seeing. Last time I was here, it was like: here’s the ball – go. That was what Maverick fans have seen so far. But I’m looking forward to settling into whatever the team needs on a consistent basis.”
So far, Dinwiddie has seen all sorts of usage, including non-usage. His role was negligible in the first two games. He didn’t even play at Phoenix. But he’s averaged 18 minutes and six points over the last three games and had a trio of three-pointers against Utah on Monday.
“You need those type of guys on your team to be able to adjust to a role on the fly and he’s one of those guys that can do that,” Kidd said. “He’s doing that for us at a high level right now.”
Dinwiddie is in his second stint with the Mavericks and he said it’s similar to his first run with the team, which included playing in the Western Conference finals in 2022.
Similar, but different.
“It’s fairly normal,” he said. “It’s a lot of the same, but kind of different. New players, but a lot of the principles are still the same. We have a lot of holdovers, Luka (Dončić) of course.
“And the Mavericks’ DNA is still very much the same.”
Dinwiddie is an NBA player who has a firm grasp on where things stand in the league. And where he stands.
He got traded midway through the 2022-23 season for Kyrie Irving. It wasn’t necessarily unexpected, he said.
And Dinwiddie wears the badge proudly that he’s also been involved in trades that included Kristaps Porzingis and Russell Westbrook.
“I’m the guy who always gets traded for the superstar,” he said. “That’s kind of how it works. I’m the bum who gets traded for the superstars. That’s how fans look at it.”
It wouldn’t exactly be right or fair to call a guy who averaged 16 points in 80 games with the Mavericks the first time around a “bum.” But Dinwiddie understand how the world works.
And he said now things have turned out quite well. He’s playing alongside Luka, Irving and Klay Thompson.
And he credits Kidd for making his unpredictable job a bit easier to handle.
“That’s what makes it simple,” Dinwiddie said. “You’re at least getting a heads up prior to the game, typically. That helps. If I know going into this game I need to stop so-and-so (defensively) or hey, they’re going to double-team Luka so you should be aggressive or they’re not going to double-team Luka so be ready to catch and shoot. Or whatever. They typically do a really good job of helping you, even if it’s: you’re not in the rotation, you’re not playing.”
“Is it easy in general? No, it’s hard as hell. The easiest thing in the league is to have a consistent job. But J-Kidd, to his credit, they at least try to give you a heads up.”
And, so far, it’s working out well for both Dinwiddie and the Mavericks.
X: @ESefko
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